14/08/2024
COMMUNITY AWARENESS - Look out for your elderly family and friends. Elder Financial Abuse
My friend (“M”) of 37 years, now aged 91 years has been a victim of elder financial abuse.
A woman (“D”) telephoned my friend “M” about 3.5 to 4 years ago and introduced herself as a partner of M’s deceased partner of 21 years. That was a lie.
The woman D nurtured within the elderly M, then 88 years, a false sense of responsibility toward D and a collection of cats.
This took the form of paying out $150 to $200 per week for Petstock bills. Escalating to payment of Rates, car repairs, registration, cash money posted, clothing, house repairs, washing machine, reverse cycle …the list is exhaustive and is being quantified.
Fortunately these payments were paid by Mastercard and confirmed in M’s handwritten notes in a booklet.
M is now in hospital for 2 months, very unwell, to be transferred to a nursing home.
As Power of Attorney I have been alarmed to discover M’s bank account dwindled.
M who has been in and out of hospital for the last four years could not afford a live in carer, and lived without proper home care yet was pumped dry of her cash.
M’s friends were unaware of the financial abuse that was successfully hidden for the sake of a few phone calls from D.
PLEASE, look out for your family and friends. Elder financial abuse is happening. The same D has a reputation for asking elder women for money for her cats, and many give it. One woman gave her $12,000 to fence her house.
